ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — St. Johns County leaders are shaping what the next 25 years will look like and they want help from residents.
Community members came together at an input session Wednesday at The Waterworks in St. Augustine to let county leaders know what’s important to them, with things like affordable housing leading the way.
“It’s truly been the access to the water," said St. Johns County Resident Matt Lahti when asked about what he loves about living in the county. "The beach, growing up surfing, fishing, enjoying what St. Johns County has to offer.”
The memories made on the water have shaped Matt Lahti’s opinion of St. Johns County.
As county leaders shape the future, he’s hoping they’ll keep an eye on the water.
“As we expand public access to the waterways and really try to improve on our boat ramps and beach access is important," said Lahti.
Those were some of the ideas he brought to a community meeting for St. Johns County’s 25-year comprehensive plan.
Early survey results have shown there are two things folks who live in the county care about the most – infrastructure and traffic congestion.
“I don’t think over the last 25 years that the infrastructure has kept up with the residential growth," said St. Johns County Commissioner Henry Dean.
University of Florida research shows St. Johns County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state – with the population in the unincorporated areas expected to increase by 97%, or nearly double by 2050.
Not everyone in the county is thrilled about that number.
“It seems like they’re setting the stage for more rapid growth, when we’ve already grown too fast," said Nicole Crosby.
“Make actions toward this comprehensive plan to make sure the West side of 95 is protected for as long as we can," added Michael McDonald.
Commissioner Dean says there are already plans in motion to handle some of the growth – like widening County Road 210 and State Road 16 to clear up bottlenecks and adding four new parks.
Now he’s tasked with making sure the stuff folks brought up at the community meetings is included in the 25-year plan.
“For them to come and they’re filling out real time information on these charts as to what their highest priority is, I think it’s pretty cool, really," said Dean.
St. Johns County has just about wrapped up community meetings at this point.
Now county leaders will get to work on the plan.
They’ll have open houses on it this summer and finalize the plan in hearings this fall.
There is one more community meeting, Thursday at 6 p.m. at Creekside High School.